Every Wednesday we’ll take a look at the status of the
Rangers’ AHL affiliate. Top prospects Mats Zuccarello, Ryan Bourque and
Tim Erixon are key players for the Whale this season - we’ll check on how
they’re doing and how the team performs as the season progresses.

- The Blueshirts recalled Tim
Erixon from the CT Whale this morning.
New York will head west this week to visit St. Louis and Phoenix, so this
could just be a precautionary move. With
Marc Staal and Mike Sauer out with concussions, the Rangers don’t have any
spare bodies to insert into the lineup should another defenseman get hurt. However, it’s also possible that Erixon could
replace Jeff Woywitka in the lineup.
Woywitka’s turnover led directly to the Stars’ only goal last night, so
perhaps Coach John Tortorella wants to sit him down for a game or two. Erixon missed four games with an undisclosed
injury before returning to the lineup this past weekend, so this probably isn’t
an ideal time to bring him up long-term.
He has improved steadily and is “playing
exceptionally well,” according to Mitch Beck at Howlings.net. Beck also writes, “Having seen every game
he’s played in at this level, he is so clearly ready to make the jump to the
next frontier that to keep him in Hartford at this point will slow his
development.

- Erixon returned to the Whale lineup on
Friday against the Bears, but Connecticut lost 5-3 in the second “Battle of
the Bourques.” It was a strange night in
Connecticut; a loose cinder block fell from the ceiling and hit Kris Newbury’s shin pads and name plate prior to the game, but
the center avoided injury. The Whale
fell behind 4-0 before launching a comeback, but it was too little too
late. Former Whale member Tomas
Kundratek scored for Hershey. Newbury, Zuccarello and Kelsey Tessier scored for Connecticut.

- Connecticut bounced back on Saturday with a convincing
3-0 victory over the Providence Bruins.
Chris McKelvie replaced Zuccarello in the lineup and scored the
game-winner. Stu Bickel added a goal and
Francois Bouchard scored an empty-netter.
Cam Talbot pitched a 27-save shutout, his second of the year.

- Before the season Audy-Marchessault’s agent told the rookie
that he should expect to play for the ECHL’s Greenville Road Warriors this
season. But J.A.M. had more ambitious
plans, as The
Hartford Courant explains.